The earliest official tabulations of the residents of Hope Township we've seen are two 1799 reports: one by Elias Smith and the other by Augustus Jones.
Phyllis H. White transcribed the Oaths of Allegiance of men of Hope Township for 1801-1806.
The Crown Deeds of Hope Township, showing concessions and lot owners
The Hope Township tax assessment rolls indices for 1802-1807, located in the collections of the Trent University Archives (Peterborough, Ontario)
A great deal of gratitude is owed by area researchers to the late Percy Climo of Cobourg who took it upon himself to create a head-of-household index of the 1803-1851 Hope Township census returns (available in hard copy at both Port Hope and Cobourg libraries). These records have been transcribed for online searching with the kind permission of his great-nephew, Dan Climo. Please keep in mind that the entries were Mr. Climo's interpretation of often illegible or faded entries, so errors are inevitable.
1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 1809 1810 1811
1812 1813 1814 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819
1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 1826 1827
1828 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836
1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1848 1850 1851 1861
Although there are no census returns for 1842-1847, there are assessment rolls indices, showing concession/lot owners.
Unfortunately, there is only an agricultural 1851 census available for Port Hope, which lists heads-of-households. To our knowledge, the 1847 assessment index of the Town of Port Hope, also originally transcribed by Mr. Climo, is the only document we have showing the property owners of Port Hope prior to the 1861 census.
Available Canadian census returns for 1851-1931 can be searched, with images, at Library and Archives Canada.
Port Hope Business Directory (1856), was the first directory specifically for Port Hope, containing names and members of local organizations, lists of business owners and dozens of advertisements.
The Port Hope section of the Canada Directory for 1857-1858, providing the names and addresses of "professional and business men, and of the principal inhabitants".
We were able to transcribe two Bell Telephone Port Hope directories: the c1898 and 1900 editions.
The Port Hope Archives received the 1913 Port Hope assessment roll in the spring of 2009 from the Cobourg & District Historical Society Archives. Thanks to the late Janet Snelgrove for transcribing it. The status codes descibes whether the person listed was an owner or tenant. The codes mean the following:
- F - Freeholder
- FMF - Freeholder Manhood Franchise
- T - Tenant
- TMF - Tenant Manhood Franchise
Courtesy of the late Don Workman of Port Hope, we have transcribed the entries from the 1920 Hope Township Voters' List.
Peter and Barbara Bolton - Port Hope, Ontario
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